75

You don't know exactly when it is that you find yourself back, hunched over and gripping the edge of the desk. Blinking—feeling yourself shivering slightly—you manage to sit up and peer through the near darkness to where your grandma is sitting.

From what you can see of her, she seems to be a little stunned as well—straightening herself up and trying to regain her bearings. You think she must have felt the same thing you did.

Before you can say anything—before you can move at all—your grandma breathes out suddenly, and you see her eyes widen as they fix on one of the monitors.

Twisting around to follow her gaze, you see at once that the monitors are back as they were: no longer flickering, but simply displaying the same lines of code as if nothing happened.

But this time, a new window has appeared on one of the screens.

You only have to lean forward an inch to be able to make out the words:

Process Complete. Extraction Rate: 94%

"Grandma—"

To your right, you just hear another breath.

And then—before you even have to ask the question burning in your mind—your grandma's arms pull around you and you feel her heart beating through her skin as she closes you in a warm, breathless hug.

"Thank you, Huknock," she manages. You think you can hear her voice starting to shake. "Thank you—we did it, Huknock. We did it."

Epilogue